To keep a wearer safe and comfortable, footwear is called upon to perform a variety of functions. For example, the sole structure of footwear should provide adequate support and impact force attenuation properties to prevent injury and reduce fatigue, while at the same time provide adequate flexibility so that the sole structure articulates, flexes, stretches, or otherwise moves to allow an individual to more fully utilize the natural motion of the foot.
High-action sports, such as the sport of skateboarding, impose special demands upon players and their footwear. For example, during any given run, skateboarders perform a wide variety of movements or tricks (e.g., carving, pops, flips, ollies, grinding, twists, jumps, etc.). During all of these movements, pressure shifts from one part of the foot to another, while traction between the skateboarder and the skateboard must be maintained. Further, for the street skateboarder, traction between the skateboarder's shoe and the ground propels the skateboarder.
Additionally, skateboarding requires the skateboarder to apply pressure to portions of the skateboard using his or her feet in order to control and move the board. For certain tricks or moves, skateboarders selectively apply pressure to the board through their shoes at different locations on the bottom and/or edges of the shoes. For example, for some skateboarding tricks, pressure is applied by the sole of the foot along the lateral forefoot region, approximately at the outer toe line location. For other tricks, pressure is applied by the sole of the foot along the lateral region of the foot somewhat forward of the outer toe line location. For even other tricks, pressure may be applied under the toes, the ball of the foot, or even the heel.
For other tricks or moves, skateboarders may selectively apply pressure to the board through their shoes at different locations on the uppers and/or side edges of the shoes. For example, for some skateboarding tricks, such as a kick flip, pressure may be applied by the top of the toes of the foot, approximately across the top of the toe line location. For other tricks, such as an ollie, pressure may be applied by the top of the lateral forefoot portion of the foot.
As the interaction between the skateboarder and the skateboard is particularly important when performing such tricks, skateboarders have traditionally preferred shoes having relatively thin and flexible soles that allow the skateboarder to “feel” the board. Yet, at the same time, skateboard tricks have become “bigger,” involving higher jumps and more air time, and importantly greater and greater impact loads and movement speeds. These bigger skateboard tricks may result in uncomfortably high, even damaging, impact loads being felt by the skateboarder. Given the large variety of tricks, different movements and landing positions, different portions of the foot may experience significant impact loads while other portions may not.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide footwear that allows the wearer to better feel and grip the ground, board, or other foot-contacting surfaces, to achieve better dynamic control of the wearer's movements, while at the same time providing impact-attenuating features that protect the wearer from impacts due to these dynamic movements.